Hey folks, here's a recipe I just passed on to my friends Detlef and Julia who were going to take us out to the diner on hwy 7 between Kitchener and Guelph for hot and sour soup today... but we forgot we had a family engagement, so didn't get to go. A sad story. We are still planning to go another time 'cause it apparently has awesome food.
Anyway, on the topic of hot and sour soup, here's the recipe that I've followed for a couple of years now, always with good success. You can drop or change some of these ingredients and it's still delightful. For example, at this moment I am eating the version I made tonight, with leaks (rather than green onion), rice vinegar (rather than white), no meat, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, nor sesame oil, and I still think it kicks ass, even though that's a pretty different version than this recipe (esp. without the sesame oil - I ran out). What can I say, I cook by the seat of my pants...and by what's in the fridge. The key ingredients IMO are the chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and white pepper (must be white, not black). And I would say try to add the sesame oil, and onions, even though it does taste good without the sesame oil.
Hot and sour soup
4 c chicken stock
3 tbl soy sauce
1/4 c cooked shredded chicken or pork
1/2 c mushrooms diced
1/2 tbl garlic chili sauce (shriracha)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 c white vinegar
1/3 c canned bamboo shoots juliened (I never put these in)
3 oz block tofu diced 1/4 in
2 tbl cornstarch in 2 tbl water (I've skipped this step too - I don't care if it's thick)
1 egg beaten
2 green onion stalks diced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Simmer broth
Add soy sauce, meat mushrooms and chili paste
Simmer 5 min
Add wh pepper, vinegar, bamboo and tofu
Simmer 5 min
Combine cornstarch and water, add and stir well
Simmer 5 min until thickened
Beat egg, pour in slowly through a fork in a fine stream. Stir.
Wait 30 seconds
Add onion and sesame oil, stir.
Remove from heat.
